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Bautista set to sign 5-year, $65 million contract

The Jays and slugger Jose Bautista have all but finalized a $65-million
deal that will keep the 54-home run slugger in Toronto for the next five
years.

ESPNdeportes.com is reporting the Jays and Bautista are close to agreement on a contract extension worth $65 million. (CARLOS OSORIO / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

By Mark ZwolinskiSports Reporter

Wed., Feb. 16, 2011

DUNEDIN, FLA.—The Jays and slugger Jose Bautista have all but finalized a $65-million deal that will keep the 54-home run slugger in Toronto for the next five years.

The Jays would not comment Thursday morning in Dunedin, but said they expect Bautista back at spring camp Friday. With Bautista returning, it's expected a formal announcement will follow.

Reports on Wednesday night also hinted at a club option for a sixth season that would bring the total value of the contract to $78 million and make Bautista the highest-paid Blue Jay, as well as the cornerstone player behind which the franchise will attempt a rise back to contender status in the American League East Division.

The Jays also signed veteran centre fielder and base stealing king Scott Podsednik Wednesday to a minor league deal with an invite to major league spring training.

Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said earlier Wednesday that the two sides “continue to have dialogue,” but later reflected on his own personal guidelines behind long-term deals.

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Those guidelines were no doubt affected by a debate surrounding the 30-year old Bautista ever since he slammed those 54 homers a year ago to mark an increase of 38 homers over his previous career best.

Key in the considerations was the general nervousness in pro sports behind handing out long, rich deals to athletes who reach a superstar level of performance for the first time. The simple question with Bautista centred on the lack of a track record to backup his tremendous 2010 season, and support the belief that he can consistently achieve those numbers moving forward.

Anthopoulos seemed to trust his instincts in the end.

“It’s not a decision you make on your own, you consult your staff, the coaching staff, and a lot of other people, but what I hang my hat on is that you make a determination on the person himself, and I can’t say enough good things about Jose Bautista,” Anthopoulos said.

In addition, Anthopoulos said he would not negotiate a one-year deal to buy more time for negotiations on a long-term extension.

Back in 2008, then GM JP Ricciardi signed outfielder Alex Rios to a one-year, $4.8 million deal to avoid arbitration. That deal also provided more time for the two sides to work out a seven-year extension at $69.8 million.

Anthopoulos also said he is against awarding no trade clauses, performance bonuses, and vested options unless they are tied to achievements like all-star and MVP awards. He reasoned that such clauses can be distracting to a player if details like at-bats or innings pitched are down, or if they are not included in a manager’s lineup for a period of time.

Reports Wednesday also said the Jays will make financial contributions to Bautista’s charitable efforts in Toronto and the Dominican Republic.

Bautista had been in Arizona, where an arbitrator would have decided Friday between Bautista’s submission for a $10.5 million one-year deal against the Jays’ counter of $7.6 million, had a long-term contract failed to materialize.

In the meantime, Podsednik, who led the majors with 70 stolen bases in 2004, gives the Jays an option for a fourth outfielder, or a starter in one of the corner outfield positions.

Toronto already boasts a bona fide speedster in Rajai Davis, a trade acquisition from Oakland last November who reported to camp Wednesday. Davis projects to be the starting centre fielder, along with Travis Snider in left and Juan Rivera in right.

But Podsednik brings a potential wild card to that mix. His prime years were as a centre fielder, but he hasn’t played regularly there since 2004. He is also a left-handed hitting option for the team — both Davis and Rivera are right handed hitters.

“Scott will come in to compete for a job, he’ll come in to compete for a spot (in the outfield) or as a bench player,” Anthopoulos said Wednesday night.

“He’s here to win a spot on the 25 man roster and if he does that, we’ll see from there.”

Toronto’s bench, for the moment, features infielder John McDonald and catcher Jose Molina, but there are at least two spots open, with Mike McCoy, Corey Patterson, and Podsednik, all in the running.

Anthopoulos said he isn’t necessarily married to the notion of keeping Snider in one position all season, though that was part of the thinking for the young outfielder.

Given injuries, individual performances, and matchups, the outfield could shuffle from time to time to see Patterson in centre, Snider moving between the corner outfield positions, and Podsednik in left.

“Lots of things change, and Scott hasn’t been given any promises ... that’s what spring training is for, and it’s a long process,” Anthopoulos said. “We have certain ideas about (Snider playing in one spot), but we haven’t discussed them with the player yet ... so we’ll go from here.”

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